Correlation between urinary iodine levels and TSH of umbilical cord from newborns of the University Hospital at the School of Medicine from Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo

The safest and most efficient way to diagnose congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is through screening programs using serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). CH occurs in one in 1:2,300 - 1:5,000 births but higher rates are found in iodine-deficient areas. Iodine was measured in the urine of 141 newborns (87 males and 54 females) from Ribeirão Preto to complement the screening program developed by the School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto (FMRP-USP) and Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP). TSH values did not disclose any case of CH, although we have seen an elevated ratio (0.96%) of calls for retests. The iodine urinary levels ranged from 2.1 to 194µg/l (mean 58.3±36.2µg/l). No differences between the levels of urinary iodine and gender or gestational ages were observed. A negative correlation between urinary iodine and TSH of blood from umbilical cord was found (r= -0.20, p= 0.02).A forma mais eficaz e segura de se diagnosticar o hipotireoidismo congênito (HC) é através dos programas de rastreamento neonatal com dosagens sanguíneas do hormônio tireotrófico (TSH). Está estabelecido que a incidência de HC varia entre 1:2.300 - 1:5.000 nascimentos, sendo mais elevada em áreas de carência iódica. Complementando o programa de rastreamento para HC desenvolvido entre a Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP-USP) e a Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), dosou-se iodo em amostras urinárias de 141 recém-nascidos (RN) de Ribeirão Preto, sendo 87 meninos e 54 meninas. Os resultados de TSH não indicaram casos de HC, embora um elevado número de crianças (0,96%) tenha sido convocado para novos testes. As iodúrias variaram entre 2,1 e 194µg/l, (média de 58,3±36,2µg/l). Não foram observadas diferenças entre os valores de iodo urinário dos RN segundo o sexo ou idade gestacional. Foi encontrada correlação negativa entre iodúria e TSH de sangue de cordão umbilical (r= -0,20, p= 0,02).Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Universidade de São Paulo Faculdade de Medicina Hospital das ClínicasUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de Medicina Disciplina de EndocrinologiaUNIFESP, Depto. de Medicina Disciplina de EndocrinologiaSciEL

Alien Registration- Arbo, Pearl D. (Allagash, Aroostook County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/32778/thumbnail.jp

Time-dependent density-functional theory approach to nonlinear particle-solid interactions in comparison with scattering theory

An explicit expression for the quadratic density-response function of a many-electron system is obtained in the framework of the time-dependent density-functional theory, in terms of the linear and quadratic density-response functions of noninteracting Kohn-Sham electrons and functional derivatives of the time-dependent exchange-correlation potential. This is used to evaluate the quadratic stopping power of a homogeneous electron gas for slow ions, which is demonstrated to be equivalent to that obtained up to second order in the ion charge in the framework of a fully nonlinear scattering approach. Numerical calculations are reported, thereby exploring the range of validity of quadratic-response theory.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures. To appear in Journal of Physics: Condensed Matte

Vacuum decay in quantum field theory

We study the contribution to vacuum decay in field theory due to the interaction between the long and short-wavelength modes of the field. The field model considered consists of a scalar field of mass $M$ with a cubic term in the potential. The dynamics of the long-wavelength modes becomes diffusive in this interaction. The diffusive behaviour is described by the reduced Wigner function that characterizes the state of the long-wavelength modes. This function is obtained from the whole Wigner function by integration of the degrees of freedom of the short-wavelength modes. The dynamical equation for the reduced Wigner function becomes a kind of Fokker-Planck equation which is solved with suitable boundary conditions enforcing an initial metastable vacuum state trapped in the potential well. As a result a finite activation rate is found, even at zero temperature, for the formation of true vacuum bubbles of size $M^{-1}$. This effect makes a substantial contribution to the total decay rate.Comment: 27 pages, RevTeX, 1 figure (uses epsf.sty

The HOSTS Survey for Exozodiacal Dust: Preliminary results and future prospects

[abridged] The presence of large amounts of dust in the habitable zones of nearby stars is a significant obstacle for future exo-Earth imaging missions. We executed an N band nulling interferometric survey to determine the typical amount of such exozodiacal dust around a sample of nearby main sequence stars. The majority of our data have been analyzed and we present here an update of our ongoing work. We find seven new N band excesses in addition to the high confidence confirmation of three that were previously known. We find the first detections around Sun-like stars and around stars without previously known circumstellar dust. Our overall detection rate is 23%. The inferred occurrence rate is comparable for early type and Sun-like stars, but decreases from 71% [+11%/-20%] for stars with previously detected mid- to far-infrared excess to 11% [+9%/-4%] for stars without such excess, confirming earlier results at high confidence. For completed observations on individual stars, our sensitivity is five to ten times better than previous results. Assuming a lognormal luminosity function of the dust, we find upper limits on the median dust level around all stars without previously known mid to far infrared excess of 11.5 zodis at 95% confidence level. The corresponding upper limit for Sun-like stars is 16 zodis. An LBTI vetted target list of Sun-like stars for exo-Earth imaging would have a corresponding limit of 7.5 zodis. We provide important new insights into the occurrence rate and typical levels of habitable zone dust around main sequence stars. Exploiting the full range of capabilities of the LBTI provides a critical opportunity for the detailed characterization of a sample of exozodiacal dust disks to understand the origin, distribution, and properties of the dust.Comment: To appear in SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation 2018 proceedings. Some typos fixed, one reference adde

First-light LBT nulling interferometric observations: warm exozodiacal dust resolved within a few AU of eta Corvi

We report on the first nulling interferometric observations with the Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI), resolving the N' band (9.81 - 12.41 um) emission around the nearby main-sequence star eta Crv (F2V, 1-2 Gyr). The measured source null depth amounts to 4.40% +/- 0.35% over a field-of-view of 140 mas in radius (~2.6\,AU at the distance of eta Corvi) and shows no significant variation over 35{\deg} of sky rotation. This relatively low null is unexpected given the total disk to star flux ratio measured by Spitzer/IRS (~23% across the N' band), suggesting that a significant fraction of the dust lies within the central nulled response of the LBTI (79 mas or 1.4 AU). Modeling of the warm disk shows that it cannot resemble a scaled version of the Solar zodiacal cloud, unless it is almost perpendicular to the outer disk imaged by Herschel. It is more likely that the inner and outer disks are coplanar and the warm dust is located at a distance of 0.5-1.0 AU, significantly closer than previously predicted by models of the IRS spectrum (~3 AU). The predicted disk sizes can be reconciled if the warm disk is not centrosymmetric, or if the dust particles are dominated by very small grains. Both possibilities hint that a recent collision has produced much of the dust. Finally, we discuss the implications for the presence of dust at the distance where the insolation is the same as Earth's (2.3 AU).Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Vacuum decay in quantum field theory

We study the contribution to vacuum decay in field theory due to the interaction between the long and short-wavelength modes of the field. The field model considered consists of a scalar field of mass $M$ with a cubic term in the potential. The dynamics of the long-wavelength modes becomes diffusive in this interaction. The diffusive behaviour is described by the reduced Wigner function that characterizes the state of the long-wavelength modes. This function is obtained from the whole Wigner function by integration of the degrees of freedom of the short-wavelength modes. The dynamical equation for the reduced Wigner function becomes a kind of Fokker-Planck equation which is solved with suitable boundary conditions enforcing an initial metastable vacuum state trapped in the potential well. As a result a finite activation rate is found, even at zero temperature, for the formation of true vacuum bubbles of size $M^{-1}$. This effect makes a substantial contribution to the total decay rate.Comment: 27 pages, RevTeX, 1 figure (uses epsf.sty

The HOSTS survey - exozodiacal dust measurements for 30 stars

The Hunt for Observable Signatures of Terrestrial Systems survey searches for dust near the habitable zones (HZs) around nearby, bright main-sequence stars. We use nulling interferometry in the N band to suppress the bright stellar light and to probe for low levels of HZ dust around the 30 stars observed so far. Our overall detection rate is 18%, including four new detections, among which are the first three around Sun-like stars and the first two around stars without any previously known circumstellar dust. The inferred occurrence rates are comparable for early-type and Sun-like stars, but decrease from {60}-21+16% for stars with previously detected cold dust to {8}-3+10% for stars without such excess, confirming earlier results at higher sensitivity. For completed observations on individual stars, our sensitivity is five to ten times better than previous results. Assuming a lognormal excess luminosity function, we put upper limits on the median HZ dust level of 13 zodis (95% confidence) for a sample of stars without cold dust and of 26 zodis when focusing on Sun-like stars without cold dust. However, our data suggest that a more complex luminosity function may be more appropriate. For stars without detectable Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI) excess, our upper limits are almost reduced by a factor of two, demonstrating the strength of LBTI target vetting for future exo-Earth imaging missions. Our statistics are limited so far, and extending the survey is critical to informing the design of future exo-Earth imaging surveys

A breakthrough on Amanita phalloides poisoning: an effective antidotal effect by polymyxin B

Amanita phalloides is responsible for more than 90 % of mushroom-related fatalities, and no effective antidote is available. a-Amanitin, the main toxin of A. phalloides, inhibits RNA polymerase II (RNAP II), causing hepatic and kidney failure. In silico studies included docking and molecular dynamics simulation coupled to molecular mechanics with generalized Born and surface area method energy decomposition on RNAP II. They were performed with a clinical drug that shares chemical similarities to a-amanitin, polymyxin B. The results show that polymyxin B potentially binds to RNAP II in the same interface of a-amanitin, preventing the toxin from binding to RNAP II. In vivo, the inhibition of the mRNA transcripts elicited by a-amanitin was efficiently reverted by polymyxin B in the kidneys. Moreover, polymyxin B significantly decreased the hepatic and renal a-amanitin-induced injury as seen by the histology and hepatic aminotransferases plasma data. In the survival assay, all animals exposed to a-amanitin died within 5 days, whereas 50 % survived up to 30 days when polymyxin B was administered 4, 8, and 12 h post-a-amanitin. Moreover, a single dose of polymyxin B administered concomitantly with a-amanitin was able to guarantee 100 % survival. Polymyxin B protects RNAP II from inactivation leading to an effective prevention of organ damage and increasing survival in a-amanitin-treated animals. The present use of clinically relevant concentrations of an already human-use-approved drug prompts the use of polymyxin B as an antidote for A. phalloides poisoning in humans.Juliana Garcia, Vera Marisa Costa, Ricardo Dinis-Oliveira and Ricardo Silvestre thank FCT-Foundation for Science and Technology-for their PhD grant (SFRH/BD/74979/2010), Post-doc grants (SFRH/BPD/63746/2009 and SFRH/BPD/110001/2015) and Investigator grants (IF/01147/2013) and (IF/00021/2014), respectively. This work was supported by the Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT) - project PTDC/DTPFTO/4973/2014 - and the European Union (FEDER funds through COMPETE) and National Funds (FCT, Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia) through project Pest-C/EQB/LA0006/2013

Ativismo judicial e judicialização da política da relação de consumo: uma análise do controle jurisdicional dos contratos de planos de saúde privado no estado de São Paulo

This article aims to analyze the moviment of legalization politics in the practice of consumption ratio in order to understand the control exercised by the Court of São Paulo in private health plans contract. Differentiate between judicial activism and legalization of politics, because of the specific analysis that aims to trace. Later research will focus on the politics of consumer relations and the ramifications of their principiológicas and normative bases. Finally, the legalization of the consumption ratio in health insurance contracts policy will be reviewed from the dockets issued by the Court of São Paulo. The methodological approach is deductive, because from the theory of judicialization and judicial activism is possible to understand the judicial review of health plan contracts. The work is literature and develops the concepts of judicial activism, legalization of politics and consumeristas practices. The conclusion reached is that the judicial review of the state of São Paulo contracts of health plans is a result of the significant amount of repetitive demands plaguing the Brazilian judiciary. Editing overviews of understanding to settle the matter cannot be understood as judicial activism. This is an inherent judicialization of politics, which is presented as inevitable phenomenon in the face of conflicts presented in post modern society act.Este artigo tem como objetivo analisar o movimento de judicialização da política na prática das relações consumeristas, com o fim de compreender o controle exercido pelo Tribunal de Justiça de São Paulo nos contratos de planos de saúde privado. Será traçada uma diferenciação entre ativismo judicial e judicialização da política, em razão da análise específica a que se propõe. Posteriormente a pesquisa concentrar-se-á na política das relações de consumo e os desdobramentos de suas bases principiológicas e normativas. Por fim, a judicialização da política da relação de consumo nos contratos de planos de saúde será analisada a partir das súmulas editadas pelo Tribunal de Justiça de São Paulo. A perspectiva metodológica é a dedutiva, pois a partir de teoria do ativismo judicial e da judicialização será possível compreender o controle jurisdicional dos contratos de planos de saúde. O trabalho é bibliográfico e desenvolve conceitos relativos a ativismo judicial, judicialização da política e práticas consumeristas. A conclusão a que se chega é que o controle jurisdicional dos contratos de planos de saúde do estado de São Paulo é resultado da significativa quantidade de demandas repetitivas que assolam o poder judiciário brasileiro. A edição de súmulas para assentar o entendimento da matéria não pode ser compreendida como ativismo judicial. Esse é um ato inerente à judicialização das políticas, que se apresenta como fenômeno inevitável diante dos conflitos apresentados na sociedade pós-moderna